Ritchie County....Come On Down

So I started this blog on March 5^th….I was filtering through some of the entries and it really seems like all this just started…..We are now 30 days from the marathon….. I swear I was just running up the road thinking it was a solid 7-8 mile run and discovering it was MAYBE a little over 4 J

Train tickets have been confirmed…..hotel confirmed…..race confirmed…. Researching “to do’s”….   I discovered I’m off Monday (hello government holidays)…so I’ve already created my full day of things to do which is probably more then I would have done in a work day.  I need to get my orange shoes…orange running sleeves….you know necessities for the marathon to represent Team Fox.

I’m so excited earlier today we hit the $5,259 mark for fundraising!  I mailed out some additional donation request letters and flyers for the upcoming events.  I really think we can make this $10,000 mark happen!  There are over 200 runners for Team Fox….and just for those that may not know…. There are 42,000 runners in the NYC marathon….so yes…that’s pretty much the population of the 2^nd largest city in West Virginia (not to be confused with the MOST populated city of Morgantown given a game day….we discussed that fact with the governor’s wife Tuesday) J

Just to make a note of a Fun Friday story…..  Play this song…. It’s very catchy and I’m sure you’ve heard it before……

  (Price is Right Theme Song)

Now…. One of the funniest most random memories I have of dad coaching our XC team is cruising down the hill at the State Meet held in Elkins…..We had our CD of music selections (yes...they were rather random)…..dad cranks down the driver’s side window…. Turns up this song basically to full blast…..Slows the van down and starts Shouting… “Ritchie County Come On Down!!!!!”

Well….Ritchie County’s team is here (obviously)!  Dad was the biggest jokester….the biggest motivator….but don’t think he wasn’t direct, assertive, and competitive.  He had such a balance that his athletes wanted to do better…not for themselves…but for others…for him…for their teammates…, and I don't ever remember questioning anything he said.

I struggle today with so many excuses kids have.  Why they can’t do something..What happened to the  I’m going to do this…. there are coaches’ who dedicate so much of their time into making kids better….trust me coaches don’t do it for the money….if that is the case they make about a penny and hour, and being a business person…I reccomend I think they need to re-evaluate their investments.  Most do it for the kids….and I wish kids got that anymore, there is this sense of entitlement that has taken over where they should just ‘be good’ and that’s that.  If they aren’t it’s the coaches fault or someone else’s…….  I remember if there was ANYTHING I didn’t get….it wasn’t about an excuse…it was what are you going to do about it.  The answer 99% of the time….Work Harder.

Now sorry for the tangent….. BUT….  I reflect back on dad as a coach so much, and all these athletes that constantly check in on him, are concerned with him, and keep up with him….. What an amazing example he set…not just for me and my sisters, but from the people I get notes from regarding it. 

Now….after ranting and raving about that….I’m setting myself to not be allowed to complain about having a 3 hour run tomorrow, nor make up an excuse to shorten it or push it off a day J  Ugghhh these conscious thoughts I’ve had placed in my head over the years J  

Well…. I better get back to it…. I try to keep telling myself Rome wasn’t built in a day J

In-between the serious aspects of coaching....he of course had to get a picture with the Cow......